Dancing With a Stranger
by passiveaggresive
Summary: One Shot very loosely based on the Sam Smith song


_**I recommend listening to Dancing with a Stranger by Sam Smith the first part is very loosely based off of it.**_

Jace didn't like to complicate things. That's why his schedule was simple. Eat, sleep, work, drink, repeat. Okay maybe not necessarily in that order but the idea was the same. His life had been that way ever since he screwed up. His girlfriend of 4 years had seen him "kissing" another woman.

He had actually been kissing this girl she was kissing him and he was trying to push her off and tell her that he had a girlfriend that he loved very much and had been planning on proposing to next week. But Clary had walked in at the wrong moment he was pushed against the wall with the bimbo on his lips. She had stormed out, once he had finally got the girl off of him he ran after her. He had tried explaining the situation but she wouldn't have any of it. She had a glass filled with some type of red wine ( her favorite ) and poured it all over him. Screaming in his face that she loved him and thought that he had loved her too, she went on and on until there were tears running down her face and all of their friends were surrounding them. She said that they were over if that isn't obvious and threw her apartment key at him. Her aim was always terrible so it flew past him as she ran off he had no idea where though because all of their friends were standing right there.

_I don't wanna be alone tonight, It's pretty clear that I'm not over you_

A month later Clary wasn't taking anyone's calls or answering texts, and no one from their tight group of friends knew where she was living. They had all agreed that going to her gallery was to far and didn't want to be the cause of any public outbursts. He had finally let Iz drag him to a club. He needed to get out of the apartment according to her and the rest of the group. Walking into the club he went straight to the bar. Ordered straight vodka, told the guy he wanted whatever had the highest proof. It had burned going down but after two or three he was to numb to notice. That's when he saw her. The short stature, the red hair, he was sure it had to be her. He walked up to her and asked her to dance she said yes. Something hadn't felt right. This girl his arms was too tall, her hair was not the right color now that he was closer, so he flipped her around and her eyes were blue not the beautiful green he was in love with. He pushed the imposter away and almost ran out of the club.

Clary had a pretty simple routine. Get up, go to work, come home, go to bed. Occasionally she would stop by her favorite coffee place or diner however she knew that he loved black coffee from Java Jones almost as much as she did and coconut pancakes from Taki's more so she has accepted that this is her life. Well now it is her life. She used to go out with her friends but most of her friends were his friends too and she had "lost" them in the break up. Izzy and Alec had been his friends first anyway, Simon was now dating Isabelle and so she obviously couldn't make him choose between them so she distanced herself. They had met Magnus through Alec so it's obvious how that went no matter how close the two of them were. On the plus side she now had no obligations to anyone but herself.

Maia had finally talked her into going out some months later. Maia worked at her gallery as an assistant coordinator. Her boyfriend is a bouncer at this new club beginning with a P she can't quite remember the name of. She protested but Maia smacked her, yes actually smacked her and asked her if she was going to mope over this stupid guy for this rest of her life. She had been in deep thought, seriously considering it when Maia smacked her again, announced that she would pick Clary up at 9 and said if she protested again she would greatly regret it.

_I wasn't even goin' out tonight, But, boy, I need to get you off of my mind_

It was eight forty-five and Clary was dressed but what she was wearing brought back so many memories, once happy now painful. She was about to text Maia and make up some excuse consequences be damned when there was a knock at her door. Maia told her how smoking hot she looked and then continued to drag Clary out of her apartment. On their way Clary decided that this was for the best, she didn't want to be hung up on him the rest of her life and the best way to avoid that would be to hook up with someone else. When they arrived at the club Maia pulled Clary straight up to the bouncer gave him a quick kiss and then walked in. Maia ordered the two of them shots of what Clary wasn't sure. All she knew was that she loved the way it was making her feel. She and Maia went on to the dance floor and were dancing together. Until a tall, dark and handsome man came up behind her. Maia took that as her cue to leave and went to find her bouncer boy Clary supposed, but didn't really care. All she cared about was how good this man's lips felt against her neck. She turned in his arms and kissed him. This man was a sloppy kisser and she didn't feel the sparks that she felt when she kissed him. The sparks that she felt when she kissed Jace. No she would push his name out of her mind all she would think about is this handsome stranger in front of her.

_Dancing with a stranger_

It was a year after the incident when Clary got the invitation in the mail. You are cordially invited to the Wedding of Isabelle Sophia Lightwood and Simon Levi Lewis on August 24th 2019. Tears sprang to her eyes she was so happy for her old friends. But she hadn't spoken to any of them in almost a year, and she wasn't sure why she was even on the invite list or how they got her address. She does suppose if they had bothered Maia enough her best friend would have given the address to anyone who said that they used to be part of her life something she would definitely be talking to the girl about later. She had been deep in thought when arms wrapped around her from behind. Her tall, dark and handsome from six months ago at Pandemonium. Seb asked her what was in her hands and she explained. He smiled taking it from her and RSVPing her and a plus one. She teased him "oh you're sure you're sticking around that long?" he had just smiled and put it to be sent out.

Maia had given Clary's address to a geeky looking boy/man with brown curly hair and glasses, she found out. She rolled her eyes at her best friend and asked what if it had been a serial killer with which Maia responded with a smile, then I would have gotten to steal your leather jacket. Of course later on the girls coffee run they ran into someone else from Clary's past. Maia got to meet Magnus and Alec. It was awkward and they all wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible except for the brown haired girl who just keep talking and talking and talking. Clary finally told Maia that if they weren't back in fifteen minutes they were going to get fired, which Maia tried to say was bologna because Clary owned the gallery, but she didn't get the chance as Clary was basically ripping her arm off pulling her away.

August 1st Sebastian and Clary were at dinner and they saw Izzy and Simon. They talked for about ten minutes before Simon mentioned that they had other reservations to get to but they were very excited they were going to be able to come to the wedding. Clary smiled what she had hoped would be a convincing happy smile and wished them well. What she wasn't vocalizing is that once upon a time she would have been Maid of Honor in said wedding and she so wanted to ask if Lydia Branwell ( Izzys cousin) was doing a good job. But she lost that right, so she kept quiet.

August 20th Clary caught Sebastian with another woman. She royally flipped out on him and yelled that they were done, and then she went home and called Maia and cried. Was there something wrong with her? Was she not good enough in bed, not pretty enough, not thin enough? Maia yelled at her through the phone to get her act together and stop acting like a 15 year old. She told her to take the night, eat lots of ice cream and watch The Fault in Our Stars, but tomorrow she would not let any man get to her. She agreed to Maia's terms through tears and hung up. Tomorrow would be better but tonight she would cry.

August 24th Simon and Izzy's wedding. She was so nervous. She asked Maia to come with her and the girl had obliged mostly to keep Clary from drinking to much and puking all over Izzy's beautiful white dress. Clary didn't mind though anything to keep her from facing her past alone. They walked into the church and there was a really awkward moment when the usher asked them bride or groom and Clary's brain had no idea what was going on, she just stood there like a fish out of water and Maia had to reply groom for her even though technically she could sit on either side. They are seated. Simon walks in followed by the bridal party, she knows that everyone of her old friends will be walking down the aisle, including him. Magnus walks down with Helen Blackthorn, then Alec and Aline Penhallow, next is Max Lightwood and Simon's older sister Rebecca, finally it's him, Jace, looking so damn perfect. She still knows everything about him and wishes she could forget it but not everyone can flush a four year relationship down the drain so easily. On his arm is the Maid of Honor Lydia, slightly confusing Clary, Si had made Jace his Best Man? He has found her in the crowd and locks eyes with her. She wants to look away but can't find it in herself to. She knows she shouldn't but she still loves him, with every piece of her she still love the golden man walking down the aisle in St. Raziel Church. She sighs. She completely missed the ring bearer and flower girl as the processional music begins to play and Izzy walks into the church mom on one side dad on the other. Izzy looks beautiful but she keeps wanting to look at Jace. She shakes her head at herself stupid stupid Clary no more boys.

.

The reception was extravagant. Although she didn't really expect anything less from Izzy and she was sure that Magnus had something to do with it as well. Maia was watching her very closely and counting how many drinks she had when Max Lightwood came over to them. Max had been like a little brother to Clary before everything went down so she had to really keep herself together when they hugged. They talked for a bit Clary asked him about school and if he had any crushes. The latter made him super embarrassed but he answered anyway he knew enough about the situation not to ask why she hadn't been around but he did tell her he missed her. He left to go talk to someone else. The night progressed pretty flawlessly, Clary and Maia kept to themselves and didn't get up to dance or talk to anyone. They were actually about to call it a night when Eric an old bandmate of Simons asked Clary to dance. She didn't want to be rude so she agreed. But she wished she hadn't the next song that had come on was Jace and hers. Perfect by Ed Sheeran. She had almost gotten through the night without hearing it however it was too good to be true. She held back the tears as she put her arms on Eric's shoulders although the shoulders seemed to tall to be Eric. She looked up and froze. There he was. Jace. She tried to pull away but he held her, and begged her to hear him out. He was still in love with her. He had never stopped loving her, and that night was not what it had looked like. She wanted to believe him she really did but she knew that before her it was a different girl every week if not every night, so why should she believe him. And she said this to him. He agreed with her that his track record wasn't the best but she had changed him and she hadn't even looked at another girl after her. Except one he admitted, he told her about the night that he danced with the stranger at the club, and that is when she kissed him.

_**Please don't be afraid to tell me what you think! **_


End file.
